Severus didn't feel any older the next morning, as the sun shone brightly through the window and lit up Percy's bedroom. He did, however, feel very mortified by his emotional display in front of Molly the previous night. His embarrassment won over his hunger, as he dressed in a pair of jeans and a striped green shirt, and refused to leave the room.

There was a knock at the door.

'Severus?' 

It was Molly, and Severus chose not to answer in hope she'd think he was asleep and leave him alone. The door opened and she looked into the room, seeing him sitting uncomfortably on the bed.

'Would you like a spot of breakfast?' Molly asked kindly. 'It'll just be us, dear. Arthur is at work and Ginny's up in her room.'

Severus reluctantly left the bedroom and followed her downstairs to the kitchen. He sat at the table, and wondered how he was going to eat all the food Molly put in front of him. He saw eggs, bacon, sausages, toast, and pancakes - it was more than he'd ever seen in his life, outside of Hogwarts.

'Just eat what you can.' Molly said when she saw his alarmed expression, as Severus stared at the food choices in front of him. 'How are you feeling?'

'Ridiculous.' Severus frowned. 'Being fifteen is very inconvenient. I despise every moment of it.'

He expected her to mention the dreadful event from the night before, but Molly never said a word regarding it. Instead, she talked about what a lovely day it was, with the sun shining and a cool summer breeze drifted through the open windows. She told Severus the plans she had for taking photos of him to build a convincing background, which Molly hoped to get a start on today.

'The boys will be home the day after tomorrow.' Molly added.

Though he knew when the school term ended without her reminder, Severus could tell she was simply trying to include him in conversation.

'Arthur and I will pick them up at the station in the morning. Ginny will probably want to come along as well. Will you be alright by yourself for a couple of hours?'

'Am I to constantly remind you I'm not a child?' Severus asked, spearing some bacon with his fork.

Molly didn't have time to answer when an owl's screech was heard. The pair looked towards the open kitchen window, as a beautiful snowy owl flew through it and landed skilfully on the table. It dropped a note onto Severus' plate and fixed him with a curious expression.

'Were you expecting post?' Molly asked, Neither of them recognised the owl.

'No.' Severus carefully picked up the note and read it.

Forgetting someone? Take care of her, Severus.

 

All the best,

Poppy.

Severus frowned at the simple words and glanced at the owl with renewed interest. He gave her a piece of his bacon, which she was very grateful for.

'What is it?' Molly wondered, seeing the way Severus stared at the bird.

She accepted the note he handed to her and read it over.

'Who's owl is this?'

'The boy's.' Severus said, slowly petting the animal's feathers. 'I suppose she is mine now, at least until the boy is older.' He sighed. 'Her name is Hedwig, if I recall.'

'Well, it certainly is a lovely bird.' Molly commented.

Severus didn't hear her.

He was thinking about the first time he'd seen Eeylops Owl Emporium, at Diagon Alley, when he was eleven. He'd pressed his hands to the glass, with his nose inches from it, as he stared into the store with longing. His mother could not afford an owl for him, nor would his father stand for having a bird in the house, but Severus had really wanted one. When he joined the Death Eaters, he'd never bought his own owl then either – he'd been too afraid that something would happen to it.

A very small smile appeared on his face while he continued to stroke the soft white feathers of his temporarily new familiar. Severus was going to take very good care of Hedwig, even if she wasn't really his to own.

--

After breakfast, Severus almost had to be dragged out of the house to get his picture taken in the backyard. He worked on the vegetable garden for a while, turning every now and again so Molly could snap a photo of him. He hated the arrangement, but remembered it was a cunning part of making his background as a Weasley far more realistic.

Severus didn't mind as much, really, since he got to work in the garden for hours, and Molly didn't linger the entire time. When he was done, his stomach rumbled with hunger, so Severus returned to the kitchen for something to eat.

'Ah uh!' Molly made an abrupt sound once she saw him, lightly smacking his hand away from the container of biscuits he'd been reaching for. 'We're going out to lunch, so don't even think about it.' She scolded him.

'Why wasn't I informed of this?' Severus frowned. 'I would much rather stay here.'

'I know you would, but we were both invited to lunch by the Lovegoods.' Molly said. 'It would be rude not to attend. Now go upstairs and shower. Wear something nice! We'll be leaving in twenty minutes.' She said sternly.

Severus, moody once again, made his way up the stairs and passed a nervous Ginny along the way. He sorted through his clothes and picked a pair of nice black slacks, a white long-sleeved shirt, and a deep silver vest. He changed into them after showering, and even made an effort to brush his hair.

Severus was always anxious meeting new people when he'd been younger. He had tried to always look presentable to increase his chances of making a good impression, which was something prefect Lucius Malfoy had always encouraged. When Severus got older, he learned how to hide his nervousness to seem smoothly in control. He tried to tap into those practised instincts again.

It was no use when his fifteen-year-old self had memories of certain methods, but no experience in using them.

He left the bathroom, which was on the left of Ron's room and under the attic, and made his way down a short set of stairs to pass Ginny's room, then more stairs and passed the twin's room (all which were indicated by a nameplate on the front of the closed wooden doors), and another lot of stairs before he had returned to his familiar landing outside Percy's bedroom.

It was there he paused, looking to the somewhat new door beside Percy's room. Severus passed by it every time he went from the kitchen to the room he was staying in, but previously he'd given it very little thought. Approaching the door, Severus pushed it open and looked directly across the room towards the bed, which was positioned horizontally under the closed, blue curtained window.

Resting under layers of soft sheets was three-year-old Harry.

Quietly, as though he could wake the comatose boy with his mere presence, Severus approached the bed and glanced down at the slumbering child. Harry looked much less troublesome and annoying when he was was sleeping, and in the form of a small boy. Severus wasn't sure why he had entered the room, but as he stood by the bed he felt transfixed by the sight of the child.

His hand reached towards the boy, as though to brush some hair from his face, but his action halted.

Hearing a sound behind him, Severus quickly left the room and shut the door behind himself, fearful of being caught inside the bedroom and accused of worrying about the toddler. He continued down the stairs, across the landing where Molly and Arthur's room was, then down and around the last lot of stairs to reach the kitchen.

'Surely you do not intend to leave the child here alone?' Severus asked Molly, who stood near the front door where she fussed with the collar of Ginny's shirt.

'Of course not!' Molly sounded offended by his question. 'Arthur will be home shortly to check up on Harry.' She said.

As if on cue, the fireplace roared with emerald fire, and Arthur stepped into the living room.

'Oh, what splendid timing.' Arthur said when he walked into the kitchen to see the three of them standing there. He moved to give Ginny a hug of greeting before he turned to his wife and new son.

'Are you heading off now?'

'Yes.' Molly nodded. She gave her husband a quick kiss on the cheek, which he returned, while the younger pair looked away. 'We should be back in an hour. Are you sure it's no trouble?'

'None at all!' Arthur waved dismissively. 'Go on, have fun. I'll see you when you return.'

'Alright, dear.' Molly exhaled with relief. 'Come on, you two.' She urged Severus and Ginny out of the house.

'Could we not simply floo to the Lovegood residence?' Severus asked, as they walked along the driveway. 'Or apparate?'

He followed the pair towards the hills and continued after them, going further across the landscape than he ever had on his own.

'They live just over the second set of hills, a bit to the right.' Molly pointed. There was nothing to see yet that confirmed her words - only grassy hills and a cloudy, otherwise blue sky.

Severus decided she had a point and fell silent.

They walked for another ten minutes. He soon spotted the odd-shaped house of the Lovegoods, where he noticed strange signs and drawings on the walls and path. Severus tried to remember if he knew anyone from the magical family, though no one specific came to mind. He was rather certain the Lovegoods were purebloods who often populated Ravenclaw house over the years - much like Weasleys did for Gryffindor, and Malfoys for Slytherin.

He stood awkwardly near the door with Molly while Ginny rushed forward to knock loudly on the wooden surface.

It was answered a moment later by Xenophilius Lovegood, who broadly welcomed them into his home. Severus was very reluctant to enter the house, given it's highly unusual appearance and his lack of knowledge towards the residents. He wanted to leave already, and wished Molly hadn't mentioned his existence to someone else. If she hadn't, he wouldn't have been invited to go anywhere and therefore would be free from doing so.

'This must be your new son!' Xenophilius took in the sight of Severus, amused and curious by his presence.

Severus nodded and felt anxious again.

The blonde wizard had several advantages over him, such as the literal one of being much taller than Severus was, combined with his ability to cast magic with no age restrictions. Severus hated being there, inside the bizarre house with a wizard he didn't know, and wished he could leave right away.

'Yes, this is Severus.' Molly introduced. She was distracted by looking around, as Molly had never been inside their house before either. 'Thank you for inviting us over for lunch. It was very kind of you.'

'There's no need to thank me.' Xenophilius chuckled. 'You're very welcome. It was high time for you to visit, as she keeps reminding me.' He looked towards the stairs.

A beautiful woman descended the spiralled steps with a smile gracing her features.

'Molly.' The witch said in warm welcome. 'I'm so pleased you could make it. And hello again, Ginny.'

'Hello, Mrs Lovegood.' Ginny said politely to the blonde-haired woman with silvery-grey eyes. 'Are Luna or Ivy around?'

'I believe Luna is in her room.' Serene Lovegood nodded. 'Xeno, could you call Ivy inside? If she's finished planting the new flowers under the window, of course.'

Xenophilius nodded and hurried to the back door to call his youngest daughter. The girl came running inside, her hands and cheeks smeared with dirt; somehow her light purple dress was spotless.

'I did it, Daddy!' Four-year-old Ivy beamed up at her father.

She showed him her hands, as though the dirt smears were evidence of what she had planted rather than the simple fact she'd spent time in the garden.

'Excellent, my dear!' He praised her. 'Why don't you go and wash up? We have company for lunch.'

'Hello.' Ivy said shyly to the Weasleys. A second later, in a whirlwind of excited movement, the girl hurried up the stairs after Ginny.

'Isn't she the cutest thing?' Molly gushed. 'And quite the bundle of energy too!'

'She is.' Serene smiled. She went to sit in one of the comfortable seats around the table. 'Do sit down.' She indicated to the other chairs.

Molly and Severus sat at the table, and the latter was very agitated. He tried to be polite and listen to the conversation between the two woman, while Xenophilius made tea nearby, but Severus wasn't interested. And he really didn't like visiting strangers without proper warning or preparation. Severus felt he was wasting his time, as he ate some stew and sipped the cranberry juice he'd been offered, which he suspected contained a mild dose of mint tea.

He didn't say a word to anyone, and avoided any discussions aimed his way.

'Harry will be four soon, I believe.' Molly's words caught Severus' attention, not because he hadn't known such a fact, but because the Lovegoods held no surprise towards the boy's pending birthday or his existence.

They were very well-informed and it irritated him, as he didn't know these people and yet they knew quite a lot about him.

'Excuse me.' Severus said abruptly.

He abandoned his half-finished meal when he got up from the seat, and marched to the door. He had wanted to demonstrate respectable manners as he endured lunch, but if he stayed any longer he knew he would say something quite rude. Crossing the path leading away from the door, Severus kept walking and did not stop. He took long, angry strides all the way back to the burrow.

Once there, he didn't even try to retrain himself as he stormed through the front doors. His dramatic entrance startled Arthur, who had been reading the Daily Prophet in the kitchen.

'Severus?'

'Leave me alone!' Severus snapped.

He headed for the stairs and hurried up to the bedroom he was staying in, intent on never leaving the house again. He took great satisfaction in slamming the door shut as loudly as he could, before he sat heavily on the bed and growled.

'Merlin's beard, boy.' Arthur uttered at the scene.

He followed after the teenager, despite what he had been rudely told about being left alone.

'Does Molly know you're here?'

'I don't care!' Severus called through the door, hastily casting a locking charm on it. 'Let her feel uninformed and see how she takes it. Go away!'

'Son, what is going on?' Arthur sounded exasperated. 'Did the Lovegoods say something?'

'I said, LEAVE ME ALONE!' Severus bellowed.

He wanted to be away from anyone who kept intruding upon his space and sanity.

He wondered what else Molly had said about him; what other secrets she'd told another without bothering to let him know or ask for his permission. He was acting out so profoundly, as any fifteen-year-old could, in fear she had betrayed him by telling someone the things he cried about the night before. Secrets of his painful past - where others had tricked, betrayed, and hurt him. He'd never told anyone so much before, and so soon before knowing if they were completely trustworthy.

Now Severus felt he had made a terrible mistake in telling Molly.

'Now wait a minute.' Arthur sounded rather annoyed through the door. 'Don't take that tone with me, young man.' He said and the door unlocked. He stepped into the doorway in intent to speak to Severus properly, but was surprised when the boy jumped back onto the bed and edged away from him.

Severus almost looked scared of his presence.

'I apologise for my behaviour.' Severus said quickly.

Despite his best efforts to fend them off, his mind thought on the memories of how Tobias used to come into his room angrily after he had done something, or nothing, to make the man mad. Severus had been too furious with Molly's actions to remember he was supposed to be under the rules of another adult father-figure. He had overstepped his boundaries. Severus wished he could use his grown-up memories to help him, but they were too blurred whenever he needed them most.

He couldn't think straight.

'Hey, hey, I'm not going to hurt you.'Arthur was troubled by the reaction he received from the teenager. 'I'm just trying to understand what happened.'

'They were talking about me.' Severus said in a panicked rush. 'It seems the Lovegoods know quite a lot about me and the situation. It's information I prefer them not to know. I was angry, so I left.'

'Thank you for telling me.' Arthur nodded and left the room.

He tried to treat Severus like he would any of his other teenage sons, but the way Severus reacted to him had confused Arthur. He thought it was best to back out of the room and give Severus his space. He went back downstairs and immediately floo-called Molly to let her know Severus was home, in case she thought he'd just stepped outside for moment then later found him gone.

-- 

Severus did everything he could to stay in Percy's room for the rest of the day.

Tired of his door being unlocked, Severus cast a sticking charm on the frame and was pleased it seemed to keep everyone away from his room for a while. Unfortunately, he thought Molly had come home after an hour, as planned, but she showed up much later on and was not impressed with the way he'd left without a word.

'Severus Isaac, you get out here right now!' Molly's voice called through the door, startling him upright.

'I am not a child, Molly!' Severus returned. 'You have no right to make such demands.'

'As your mother, I have every right.' Molly harboured none of the hesitation Arthur often did in regards to the boy. 'I will break down this door if I must.'

'Hold your bonnet.' Severus grumbled and unstuck the door with a wave of his wand. He opened it and intended to fix her with a glare, when a sharp pain pinched against his right ear.

'Ow! Let me go you insane woman!'

'Watch your mouth, Severus.' Molly cautioned as she dragged him downstairs. 'I don't care if your memories make you feel older, but the remaining fact is that you are a teenager and living under my roof. No son of mine is going to up and leave a place where he is considered a guest, without notification or explanation. It was very disrespectful to the Lovegoods, therefore we are going to floo over there right now so you can apologise.'

'What?' Severus halted by the fireplace and pulled his ear away, which was painfully effective. 'I will do no such thing!'

'Today was the very first time we've been invited to the Lovegood's house in the two years we have known them, since Serene had an accident while experimenting with a spell.' Molly lectured. 'We weren't there for even five minutes and you'd stormed off without saying goodbye?'

'It was irrational, yes.' Severus admitted. 'And rude. However, I did so to prevent informing you precisely what I thought of your misdeed.'

'What misdeed?' Molly frowned.

'You told them about me, and the boy!' Severus accused. 'What else have you told them? My personal details are not for public knowledge. You went behind my back to inform people I don't even know of the circumstances I would like to keep private, as they should be!'

'Oh, Severus.' Molly sighed. 'Is that why you left? Dear, I only told them enough so they would know who you are. I would never say more than that. You trusted me with emotional and hurtful aspects of your life, and I am not the sort of person who would ever repeat it.'

'You didn't tell them anything else?' Severus raised an eyebrow, not willing to believe her right away.

'Of course not.' Molly shook her head. 'I said you were an orphan and we adopted you. I mentioned your aging situation and that you would be adopting Harry once you were of age again. That is all, dear.'

'Hm.' Severus frowned. 'Well, you could have told me that.'

'If you stayed in any room for more than five seconds I may have had a better opportunity to.' Molly replied. 'But yes, you're right, next time I will keep you well-informed. Now, into the fireplace.'

'I still have to go over there?' Severus glared. 'It wasn't my fault!'

'Let this be a lesson not to leave without proper consideration.' Molly held out the pot of floo power towards him.

Severus wanted to fuss and rant, but much preferred to lock himself in the bedroom again, which he knew wasn't going to be possible until he did as he was told.

He snatched some floo power and instead of stepping into the fireplace, he bent down to stick his head in and called the Lovegoods. Severus gave them an impressively-worded apology and stepped back, offering Molly a scowl before he moved to hurry back to Percy's room. His actions were halted when Molly stepped across his path, and pointed to the back door.

For a fleeting moment, he was worried she was so furious with his actions that she was going to kick him out.

'Not so fast, Severus.' Molly said sternly. 'Now you can de-gnome the garden, and set the table for dinner. You are not going to be sulking in that room all night.'

'You're insufferable!' Severus complained loudly, and marched outside the house. He made sure to slam the door closed along the way.

He passed a surprised Arthur and located the garden with the gnomes, which was around the back. He had read about de-gnoming and didn't think it sounded too hard – such an assumption was corrected when he actually had to try it. Still, it helped Severus relieve his anger by swinging and throwing potato-like gnomes as far as he could into the distance.

He was outside for quite a while, no longer interested in the passing time as he continued his task.

'Do you play Quidditch?'

Severus nearly dropped a gnome onto his foot when he heard a shy voice behind him. Turning, he saw Ginny was carefully watching him from where she stood near the side of the house.

'Sorry.' She blushed, seeing his alarm and confusion. 'I just wanted to know a bit about you, since you're my new brother and all.'

Severus stared at the eleven-year-old for a moment and sighed. He saw no reason to take his irritation out on her - Ginny she seemed to be making a decent effort to bond with who she perceived to be her new older brother.

'No.' Severus answered her question. 'Though I do occasionally watch the sport.'

'I love flying, and playing Quidditch, though I only get to play with my brothers sometimes.' Ginny shared. 'I can't wait to try out for my house team at Hogwarts! Once I'm old enough, of course. Fred and George are already on the Gryffindor team, as beaters. Charlie used to be a seeker for Gryffindor, and house captain.'

'So I heard.' Severus threw another gnome.

'Ron wants to try out next year.' Ginny continued, not noticing or minding that she was primarily upholding the conversation. 'I don't know what position, though. Are you any good at flying?'

'I'm a decent flier.' Severus said, tossing the last gnome over the fence and into a far-away hedge.

He turned around and wondered why Ginny was so keen to talk to him after he'd recently stalked off and shouted. She'd seemed very nervous and shy around him until now. Severus supposed he was interesting enough, and she clearly wasn't as anxious to be in his company as she had been when he'd first arrived. Perhaps she'd only kept her distance because it was an adjustment to have him living there as well.

'Are you finished?' Ginny looked around. 'You're very good at this. Fred and George will definitely want to challenge you to see who throws the furtherest.'

Severus said nothing, as he made his way back into the house.

He heard Ginny behind him, keeping a brief distance between them, though she followed him without previous hesitation or shyness. He tried to ignore her, which wasn't very easy, and started setting the table. Arthur sat nearby and Ginny joined his side, no longer placing all her attention on her new older brother. Severus discreetly glanced over his shoulder to watch their interactions.

He quickly looked away when Molly entered the kitchen.

'Is this to your satisfaction?' Severus glared at Molly, indicating to the set table he hadn't actually been asked to set.

'Yes, thank you.' Molly nodded. She seemed to have entirely forgiven him for his outbursts that day.

'He's really good at de-gnoming the garden, Mum.' Ginny commented.

'Is that so?' Molly looked at Severus with surprise. 'Have you de-gnomed a garden before?'

'No.' Severus answered shortly. 'May I be excused?'

'You may.' Molly nodded and watched him head for the stairs.

Severus took the steps two at a time until he reached his landing.

Looking back at Harry's door for a moment, he strode forward and locked himself in Percy's room once again. From that afternoon, he made sure to be extra polite when the Weasleys weren't too happy with him, but Severus still hated them treating him like he was some sort of delinquent they had to keep in line.

The next day was extremely disorientating for Severus.

He woke in Percy's bed near dawn, as he had already developed a habit of doing, and yet nothing seemed right. He lay there, unwilling to move, as he could not work out what had happened to him. He remembered the flash of lightning, the Hospital Wing, then coming to stay at the Burrow. No longer was he Severus Tobias Snape, as the Weasleys had adopted him as their own - he was Severus Isaac Weasley instead.

Severus knew all of that, but it all felt so long ago. Percy's clock showed the date, as well as the time, and Severus sat up quickly to grab it. He stared hard, as though to rid any illusionary magic from it, when he saw it truly had only been two days since the magic-infused lightning doomed him to his predicament.

He couldn't understand how it could have been only two days, when he honestly felt it had been almost a whole year prior.

It made no sense to him, until Severus rose from the bed and changed into his clothes. The hems of his pants and long-sleeved shirt were an inch shorter, though he knew they'd fit him before. Hurrying to the full-length mirror, Severus gasped and relief flooded him at the sight of his slightly aged appearance. He was no longer fifteen! Just as Poppy had told him, in the two days since the incident, Severus had aged an entire year.

Comprehending this, Severus realised he did feel older, though it might just be the fact he still experienced an odd sense of time shift. When yesterday literally felt like a year ago, it was very confusing and jumbled up everything he had been feeling and thinking since he'd arrived at the burrow.

In honesty, he had expected to warm up to the Weasleys and the situation over time, to accept they would always be around and weren't going to hate him for being who he was or had been. He thought it would take time and careful step-by-step levels of trust and understanding. Severus wasn't sure he'd ever really think of them as family, however, or feel anything beyond mutual acceptance of those he lived with. But he did. That morning, barely two days since he' been struck, Severus felt he had advanced a whole year not just in age and sensation, but experiences. He had no memories to support it, and yet he felt comfortable at the burrow in a way he hadn't before.

It felt like home.

Sitting on the bed, Severus stared at his bare feet and thought about the last two days.

He'd been terribly moody and wanted to lock himself in the room all day to keep away from everyone. That hadn't changed much, except he no longer wanted to retain his distance because he disliked the Weasleys - now he was worried about getting too attached. To to add to matters, the next day his brothers would be returning from Hogwarts.

Percy would probably demand his room back. Severus would either be banished to the attic, or be stuck sharing with the irritating Potter brat in the next room. Severus looked around the bedroom and found he'd become rather fond of it, as it was familiar and, for the time being at least, a place where only he slept.

He smiled a little, thinking about how ridiculous he sounded to himself. He thought the burrow was home and he was attached to someone else's bedroom. It shouldn't be of any importance where he slept as long as he had a roof over his head. Severus was calling the other Weasleys his brothers, and Ginny his sister. At fifteen he'd have been furious at himself for being so delusional and tried to deny it all, saying it was only temporarily and a necessity.

But at sixteen, with the feeling of being there a full year when he really hadn't, Severus found he didn't care either way.

Either the burrow was home for now, or it was a place he could rest his head for the night - it didn't matter. What mattered was the Weasleys had accepted him into their home, despite his rudeness and avoidance. Molly had comforted him through his pain and listened to him, in a way his own mother had never done in any memory Severus had of his whole life.

Ginny had watched him de-gnome the garden and commented on his skill. He'd deemed his efforts to be barely adequate, whereas she had been impressed as younger siblings often were. Arthur...Well, Severus still felt uncomfortable with a new father, when he had the memories of Tobias Snape, so he dismissed the third member of his would-be new family for now. Raising from the bed, he made up his mind to take advantage of his younger age and pretend this was all real.

They were his new family and he was their newly adopted son.

He'd never have considered it before, but Severus felt different at sixteen. He was more accepting and less stressed about every little thing he couldn't change. Fighting it just led to pinched ears and a scolding, which was going to drive him insane if he had to keep enduring such punishments. He'd never truly had a family before, so Severus decided to experiment with the situation and find out what a family was really like. He told himself it was for the sole reasons of satisfying his curiosity and give him something to do to pass the time.

Leaving the room, Severus made his way down the stairs and stepped into the kitchen were the lovely scent of breakfast flooded his nose.

'Good morning, dear.' Molly said. 'Oh!' She took in his appearance with a note of surprise, even if they'd been told to expect it.

Even Hedwig gave a hoot of reaction, from where she sat perched on the back of an empty chair.

'Yes, I'm sixteen now.' Severus answered. 'Should I set the table?'

'Yes, thank you.' Molly answered.

She watched the slightly taller teenager with longer hair and a more set jawline, which caused his face to look handsome rather than awkwardly proportioned, set the table. Of course, with the do-over he looked more alive and healthy than ever before. Molly wondered if that was what truly made him look so different compared to how he'd been in the past.

'Mmm, that smells good!' Arthur sniffed the air with appreciation. He entered the kitchen, while still tying his tie in preparation for work.

Molly gave him a kiss of morning greeting, and looked at Severus. She was about to ask the boy if he could take the plate of sausages to the table, but paused when she noticed his tensed posture.

Severus watched Arthur very carefully.

The teenager stepped back, and retreated from the table, when the man moved to sit down. Severus looked at the forks in his hand and contemplated not finishing the task because it meant being so near Arthur. He was furious with himself for being so cautious, as Arthur was clearly a nice person and nothing at all like Tobias Snape, but Severus couldn't help it. The two men only had a single thing in common – they were supposed to be his father. It was something unchangeable that gave them a level of expected authority over him, which made Severus very uncomfortable.

'Are you alright, dear?'

'I'm fine, Mum.' Severus said quickly and forced himself to finish setting the table. 'Is Ginny up?'

'I was about to go and wake her.' Molly said, her eyes wide with surprise.

Arthur had paused his tie tying to stare at the teenager as well. Disbelief marked both their features, whereas Severus remained unaware of the stares that followed him when he hurried from the room.

'I'll go and wake her.' Severus announced, then vanished from view.

'Did he just call me...?' Molly turned to her husband for clarification.

'I believe so.' Arthur smiled. 'It looks like we're making progress. Do you think it has something to do with the aging process?'

'Possibly.' Molly beamed.

Her eyes were tearful at the fondness of being called “Mum” for the first time by her new son, who she already adored as her own child.

-- 

Severus climbed the stairs quickly and with practised ease.

He had gone up and down them so many times in just two days (even if it felt much longer to him), that he knew the way without consideration, and whose rooms were whose without having to look. He reached the landing in front of Ginny's bedroom, and knocked loudly against the closed wooden door. He was glad she wasn't someone to keep her bedroom door open, so they were both spared from any awkwardness.

'Ginny!' Severus called to her. 'Breakfast is ready.'

'Okay!' Came her reply, though she didn't sound too eager or awake.

Severus turned and ascended a few more steps to use the bathroom. He made sure to check his hair once more, and tucked it behind his ears so it wasn't in his face. It looked a bit weird, as he'd always had it curtaining his face, but Severus decided he didn't mind it tucked back for now. He washed his hands in preparation for the morning meal, then left the room.

His mood was higher than usual, and he risked being borderline giddy, as he headed back down the many stairs to reach the kitchen. He looked at the two adults with a frown of confusion, wondering why they seemed oddly pleased about something as well.

Without questioning, Severus moved to sit in the seat furtherest from Arthur.

'Would you like to come by the shed after lunch?' The man immediately asked Severus when he caught sight of him.

'Why?' Severus asked. He was unsure, but tried to hide it.

'I wanted to show you some of the muggle contraptions I have collected over the years.' Arthur said proudly. 'You seem to have knowledge of them, or at least recognised some.'

'Okay.' Severus slowly agreed.

He didn't want to be rude, and he had never known a wizard who collected muggle items before. He was curious to see what Arthur was so enthusiastic about.

'I lived in a muggle neighbourhood while growing up.' He shared, hesitantly. 'My father was a muggle and my mother a witch.'

'Ah, then that explains it!' Arthur opened his mouth to ask Severus some questions about muggle items, but stopped when he caught a stern gaze from Molly. Remembering this boy was still very new to their household, Arthur decided question the boy another time, when Severus became more comfortable in his new life and family.

'Morning, Mum.' Ginny said when she stepped into the kitchen, dressed in a pair of tattered jeans and a nice purple top with a golden snitch on the front. 'Morning, Dad.' She added, moving to sit in the middle of the table, wondering why her dad was at one end and her new brother was sitting at the further opposite side of the table.

'Morning, Severus.' Ginny added with a smile.

She had recently made a pact to herself that she would try to be friendly to him, even if she wasn't sure how she felt about having another brother. He was interesting, though, and Ginny had a feeling his life hadn't been as warm and secure as theirs was. She felt sympathetic for him, and it made her want to accept him as a member of their family.

'Good morning, dear.' Molly and Arthur answered without looking up from what they were doing.

Molly was almost finished making breakfast and had started placing bowls and plates of food on the table, while Arthur amused himself with the Daily Prophet.

'Morning, Ginny.' Severus returned. He didn't want to be impolite to his new sister.

Actually, as he thought about it, Ginny was his only sister.

--

Severus spent the entire morning outside, sitting on a hill and overlooking the stretching landscape. He tried not to glance towards the right, where the Lovegoods lived over some taller grassy slopes, as he recalled the unpleasant visit and following punishment of the day before. It didn't bother Severus too much now, other than make him blush at the memory; it felt like months since it had happened.

He allowed his mind to wander, as the view relaxed him and the breeze on his face was rather nice.

Severus hardly noticed the hours slipping away, until he heard Molly calling him for lunch. Regretfully, he walked back down the hillside, along the dirt path to the house, and stepped inside.

He enjoyed his chicken and salad sandwich without saying much to the others seated around him. He was too busy thinking about going to the shed afterwards, and theorising what to expect from the event. Severus also hoped the days ahead would be as decent as this one, once the other Weasleys returned and got into all the mischief he knew they had the constant capability to create.

At least it would take the attention of him, Severus hoped, as he expected the adults to have their hands full with the others.

'I think we should transfigure one of Bill's old robes into a Slytherin one and have you pose in the living room.' Molly said to him, as Severus helped her clear away the plates from lunch. 'For the background, of course. It would look as though you did attend Hogwarts. We need to make sure no one can ever question your place in this family, including yourself.' She said pointedly.

'Fine.' Severus conceded.

He suspected he didn't really have a choice either way and wasn't in the mood to argue.

'Were you ever a prefect during your time at school?' Arthur wondered, curious about the boy's years as a student. 'Or Quidditch captain? What were your grades like?'

'Did you join any clubs?' Ginny added from where she sat beside her father at the table. 'What were your favourite classes?'

'Let the poor boy breathe!' Molly disapproved. 'He's only been here two days.'

'It's okay, Mum.' Severus said.

He still failed to realise how easily the title slipped from his tongue or the way it made Molly smile every time he spoke it.

'I was never a prefect, no. I had no interest in the position. As I was never on the Quidditch team, there was no reason for me to be elected as captain.' He told them. 'I briefly joined a few clubs over the years - the gobstones club and such, but none of them stuck. I'd much rather focus on my studies in the areas I was passionate about, instead of wasting waste my time with school-related activities I saw no futuristic use for.'

Severus was quiet for a moment, mentally sorting through what he could tell them and working out how much he was comfortable saying. The other three watched him with rapt interest, waiting for Severus to continue, but did not pressure him to share more than he wanted to.

'I got exemplary good grades because I studied hard and earned them. Many were also necessary to obtain my Potions Mastery.' Severus said. 'My favourite subjects were Potions, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Astronomy.'

'Did you get your mastery?' Arthur was surprised to hear Severus had been old enough to make it that far, and wondered how many years he had been de-aged. Arthur decided he was comfortable not knowing the finer details of the aging situation.

It was easier that way, to see Severus as the age he was.

'Yes.' Severus said proudly. 'I was the best in my class.'

Molly turned away and kept to herself how much more she knew about the mentioned topics and knowledge. It was hard not to say them, the things like how Severus went on to become one of the greatest Potion Master's of Britain for his generation. She also wondered how much he would say, and what details he was unable to - Molly assumed there was some sort of magic in place to prevent them from saying too much.

'That is quite an achievement!' Arthur praised, which made Severus blush. 'Well done, son! And though you are no longer recognised as a Potions Master, I am sure you will be able to easily re-obtain your mastery if you want to.'

'I intend to, yes.' Severus nodded, and looked downwards.

Throughout his life he had often thought about what his mother might have said when he got his Potions Mastery the first time around, but Eileen Prince had been dead before he'd even graduated from Hogwarts. His father, he reckoned, wouldn't have cared at all. Except to say it meant he never had to see his burdening son again because a merit like that meant Severus could surely support himself. He was glad the vile man was dead - never again to taunt him, only linger in his haunting memories.

'Well, how about we head out to the shed now?' Arthur offered as he rose from the chair.

'Ginny, dear?' Molly asked her daughter. 'Would you like to bake a cake with me?'

'Yes, Mum!' Ginny grinned and hurried over to assist.

Severus sighed and followed Arthur outside, feeling a bit better about the man's company after he'd been praised for his accomplishments, even if they had been something of the past. He'd never really been congratulated on his remarkable skills and education before, so Severus felt rather pleased with himself after finally hearing someone say that. It was nice, to have someone tell him he had done a good job, that his actions were worth a congratulations, and someone was impressed by something he'd worked hard to build because he enjoyed it and wanted to do well.

It was with a bitter sting that Severus struggled to think of anyone in his previous life who had ever extended such praise to him for something he had achieved.

Even so, as he entered the shed with Arthur, Severus remained cautious and felt nervous once again. He wished it didn't bother him so much. Had Arthur not been his supposed new father, Severus was certain he'd have no problem with being in the man's company, not even inside the shed to look over muggle items.

Severus looked around and wasn't sure what to say, other than that he had never seen so many plugs and wires in one place. He tried to understand what the appeal was for collecting all the things most muggles would call “junk”. Even Severus, in his second-hand clothes and with a poorly background, would have labelled them as rubbish. He didn't tell Arthur this, as he curiously observed the wizard's obvious enthusiasm for the objects the man hoped to figure out and maybe make use of.

'I haven't quite worked out what this is used for.' Arthur pointed to an object in the corner.

Severus glanced over in the indicated direction, and recognised the item at once. He'd never had one in his home, but he'd seen a nice shiny one being advertised in a store once.

'It's a microwave.' Severus stated. 'When it's plugged into electricity, you can press the buttons to set the timer. It cooks food.'

'Oh, my goodness!' Arthur gasped with amazement. 'The things Muggles come up with! They cook their food in this box?'

'Yes.' Severus was getting a bit bored. 'Be cautious in experimenting with it, otherwise it can become very unstable and potentially cause a rather dangerous explosion.'

'Ah.' Arthur eyed the object warily. 'I see. I will keep that in mind.' He nodded and changed his mind about its current positioning on his work bench.

Arthur carefully carried it over to a storage area, preferring to keep it away from any immediate trace of magic.

Severus was relieved the man seemed very reluctant to touch it now, reducing his worry about needing a bomb shelter nearby during his stay at the Burrow. For however long that may be. Severus thought such a shelter might still be handy because this was his last day of calmness.

He was certain of it.

Tomorrow the other Weasleys would be there at the Burrow as well, filling the house with more people and even more chaos. Even so, it wasn't what was beginning to weight on Severus' mind the most.

In less than two weeks, Harry would be awake to surely cause Severus unending grief every moment the three-year-old wasn't sleeping.